Decorative sidewalls for vehicle tires have been well received by the consuming public. Typically, these decorative sidewalls include a white or light colored applique circumferentially positioned about the sidewall. A particular type of such tire has become generically known as a "white sidewall" tire. Tires having such decorative appliques are given to damage by curbing, rotation of the sidewall of the tire against a substantial vertical surface such as a road curb. Such contact generally results in a scraping or scuffing of the decorative surface, substantially impairing the decorative appearance thereof. In the case of tires having sidewall bands thereon which consist of an extrudate of white or colored rubber, the scuff will typically not be totally destructive of the decorative applique. This is due to the fact that the decorative extrudate has a somewhat substantial thickness and is protected at the edges by a layer of black rubber resulting from the manufacturing process. While not totally destructive, the appearance of the decorative sidewall may be permanently impaired.
Copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 766,727, filed Aug. 16, 1985, assigned to the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, the assignee of the instant application, presents a tire which includes a decorative applique in the form of a thin decal. As taught by that application, the decal is in the form of a thin layer of polymeric paint which is transferred to the tire during the curing process. The polymeric paint layer is extremely thin, on the order of 0.003 inch, such that scuffs imparted to the applique can be extremely damaging, to the point of actually removing the scuffed area of the applique. Further, the edges of the applique as taught by this application are not protected by an overlapping layer of black rubber and, accordingly, the edges themselves may be exposed to the damaging effects of the vertical curb surface. Such contact can have the detrimental effect of actually "peeling" the applique from the tire.
It has previously been known to provide curb ribs on passenger tires to absorb some of the shock from curbing the tire. While such curb ribs have been somewhat successful in protecting the white sidewall area of the tires, damage has still been found to occur in such situations. There are also previously known sidewall protectors in the form of shields that are used to cover the sidewall. Yet further, tires have also been previously designed to contain raised ribs about the sidewall band. However, the purpose of the raised ribs has been to improve the aesthetic appearance of the decorative band, giving better definition or resolution to the same. Typically, these ribs are formed as a part of the extrudate containing the decorative sidewall, with a portion of the extrudate being ground or buffed away after curing to expose the sidewall and retain the inner and outer circumferential ribs.
Previously, however, there has been no presentation of a pneumatic tire in which the decorative area of the sidewall is protected by the combination of a protective rib and a decoupling action of the sidewall, allowing the decorative portion of the sidewall to deflect inwardly of the tire upon contact with a substantial vertical surface. Such a combination seeks to protect the sidewall in two different ways, the latter of which is to actually withdraw from the threatening surface that portion of the tire which is sought to be protected.